George Berry (1706–1776) was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

Early years

He was born in Kittery, Massachusetts, and he married Elizabeth Frink in 1727. He had four sons (George, Josiah, Obadiah and Henry) and one daughter (Elizabeth).

War record

Commission issued to George Berry of Falmouth, bearing date April 19, 1757. It was one of those

roving commission A roving commission details the duties of a commissioned officer or other official whose responsibilities are neither geographically nor functionally limited. Where an individual in an official position is given more freedom than would regularly be ...

s of which many were issued during the old French wars, so called, and set forth that:

"George Berry, gentleman, was constituted
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of a scouting party of forty men, and to be employed in marching from New Boston to
Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
, on the back of the inhabitants, for their security and protection, for a term not to exceed three months from the first day of April inst., unless continued by a further order of the General Court."

Assisted in the erection of Fort Halifax on the Kennebec River, and his account for services rendered, is on file in the archives at Boston, Massachusetts.

Other accomplishments

Berry was a

shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

and owned a ship yard at Back Cove, Falmouth, now Portland, Maine. He was also chairman of the Board of Selectmen in

Falmouth, Maine Falmouth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland&ndas ...

in 1753 and 1754 when Stephen Longfellow was clerk.

References

*Buckfield Oxford County, Maine: From the Earliest Explorations to the close of the year 1900", Alfred Cole, Buckfield, 1915 *"Geo. Berry (capt) co., 1759, Ft Pownall, ME", Maine Historical Magazine, Volume 9, Issues 1-3, 1894 {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, George 1706 births 1776 deaths People of Maine in the French and Indian War People from colonial Massachusetts People from Kittery, Maine People from pre-statehood Maine